Woman Dies after Deer Runs into Motorcycle

A Texas woman vacationing in South Carolina was killed over the weekend when a deer collided with the motorcycle she and here husband were riding in Horry County.

64-year-old Merry Davis and her husband both were wearing helmets when the deer ran into their motorcycle along Highway 501 near Highway 319 about 7:45 Sunday morning.

The impact caused her husband to lose control of the bike, and both were thrown off.

Officials say it's the fourth death this year involving a motorcycle-and-deer collision.

Department of Natural Resources spokesman Brett Witt says deer are on the move right now because they're looking to mate.

“Now granted, pretty much any time in fall or winter, deer can go into rut,” Witt says. “But typically, the first part of October through about the first of November is when they are out looking to reproduce. So obviously, these animals are going to be moving about more.”

In another incident, a motorcyclist hit a deer Sunday morning in the Upstate along I-85 between Greenville and Anderson, but that rider survived.

The motorcyclist death in Horry County is one of six traffic fatalities that occurred on South Carolina roads this past weekend.

Three pedestrians were also among the victims.

As of Sunday night, the number of highway deaths in our state so far this year stood at 565, or 66 fewer than at the same time last year.